Airship.



W. D. LE FBVRE.

AIRSHIP.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 2, 1910.

1,028,891. Patented June 11,1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1 f3 I I WITNESSES: WVE/VTOK W. D. LE FEVRE.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.2,1910.

Patented June 11, 1912.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 2 ATTORNEY W. D. LE FEVRE.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.2, 1910. 1,028,891. Patented June 11,1912.

3 SHEETS'SHEBT 3.

J5 J2 J2 6- ea 17 A J6 J9 Sudan V001, wane/.3000 A Maw/ flow. WW WWILLIAM DAVID LE FEVRE, 0]? DOVER, DELAWARE.

.AIRSHIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1912.

Application filed November 2, 1910. Serial No. 590,293.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM D. LE FEVRE, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing in Dover, in the county of Kent and State ofDelaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Airships,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in that class of airshipswhich are particularly designed and adapted for use in conjunction withan operating means which both propels and guides the ship, and theobject of the invention is to provide a device of this general characteremploy and arrangements of the several parts of the improved airshipwhereby certain important advantages are attained and the device isrendered simpler, less expensive and otherwise better adapted and moreconvenient for use, all as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

Thenovel features of the invention will be carefully defined in theclaims.

In order that my invention may be the better understood, I will nowproceed to de scribe the same with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein Figure 1, is a view, partly in elevation, and partlyin section, illustrating an airship constructed in accordance with myinvention; Fig. 2, is a view in perspective of the airship disclosed inFig. 1; Fig. 3, is a sectional horizontal view through the carriage andhorizontal propellers; Fig. 4, is a view similar to Fig. 3, taken on adifferent line and shown partly in section, illustrating certain detailsof construction The invention contained in this application is animprovement on the device disclosed in Letters Patent No. 932,712, datedAugust 31st, 1909, issued to William D. Le Fevre and Enoch 8. Le Fevre.

In these views 1 denotes the body or carriage of the ship which may beof any desired shape and construction, and forms no essential part ofthe invention. In or about the center of the body is a fixed shaft 2, tothe upper portion of which are attached the stationary aeroplanes 3,with movable slats 4, working on suitable pivots and capable ofoperation to be opened or closed in unison. When the ship is ascendingthe slats are in open position to permit the air to pass freelytherethrough but while the ship is moving forward or descending they areclosed or arranged at a proper angle to catch or ride upon the air.These slats are opened or closed by a chain or other flexible connection5 extending from a rod 6, that controls the slats and down through themast 2, which is hollow to a drum or other rotatable member 7, workingpreferably by manual means although other means may be employed withequal facility. The aeroplanes are held in position by suitable bracesor stays 8 held to the mast by the rings or collars 9, which is thoughtto be obvious.

Revolving around the mast 2 in counter directions, are the series ofvertical lifting aeroplane propellers 10 and 11. These propellers rideupon the air and follow each other like large kites, each one gatheringup its own air and at the same time being reinforced by the air thateach one discharges upon the other. The aeroplane lifting propellers areslightly concave underneath and slightly lower on the outer edge so asto catch and hold the air until it has passed through and performed itslift-ing underneath the full length of the planes.

The series of lifting planes 11, is mounted on the sleeve 12, embracingthe mast 2 and held against longitudinal movement by the rings orcollars 16, fixedly secured to the mast '2. The lower end of the sleeve12, carries a bevel gear 17, meshing with a second gear 18, fixed to thedriving shaft 18, of the motor 19. Carried by the same sleeve 12, butabove the series of lifting planes 11, is a bevel gear 20, which mesheswith the gear 21, mounted on the stub shaft 22, suitably fixed to themast 2. This gear 21, meshes with the gear 23, fixed to a second sleeve24, embracing the shaft and capable of rotation therearound, said secondsleeve 24having affixed thereto the second series of lifting planes 10.The second sleeve 24 is held against longitudinal movement by the ringsor collars 25 fixed to the mast 2. A lever 26 is provided to operate thecontrolling means of the motor 19 and is positioned in ready access forthe operator.

The horizontal side propellers are arranged on each side of the ship,secured to the body, and extending out at any desired distancetherefrom, and neithertoo high up or too low down, but at theintermediate position where they will give the best pull on the ship.The side shafts 27, have fixed to theopposite ends thereof the impellingblades 28 which may be constructed in any desired shape or form.v Theshafts are held in desired position on the body of the ship by thebrackets 29.

Fixed to each side shaft 27, and in trans verse alinement with eachother are friction disks '30 engaged by the friction disks 31, carriedby the transverse shafts 32, mounted in suitable supports or bearings33. Fixed to the inner ends of the shafts 32, are bevel gears 34,meshing with a bevel gear 35 carried by a sleeve 36, embracing a shortmast 37 projecting upward from the body 1 to which said mast 37 issecurely afiixed. On the lower end of the sleeve .36, is the bevel gear37 in mesh with the bevel motor gearing 38. The lever 39 controls theoperation of the gear 38, as is believed to be apparent.

The friction disks 31, are movably mounted on the shafts 32,longitudinally thereof and in order to effect such movement, the disks31, are engaged by a rod 41, provided with a hand lever 42. When thedisks 31, are at equal distances from the center of the disks 30, theship will move straight forward, but if the disks 31, are 'moved eitherto the right or left, the side propellers will move slowly on one sideand swiftly on the opposite side, and like rudders on a boat,

I will turn the ship.

As a protection against the elements and as a means to assure safedescent'in ease of accident a parachute 44,. is provided which may bepositioned at any point of the ship, but preferably beneath theunpell1ng propellers, as is particularly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. And inorder that the ship may be easily and conveniently manipulated when onthe ground, the body 1, is providcl with the traction wheels 43.

From the above description it will be seen that the device is of anextremely simple and comparatively inexpensive nature, and isparticularly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience andaccuracy with which the travel of the ship may be controlled, and itwill also be obvious from the fore oing description that the device issusceptible of considerable modification without material departure fromthe principles and spirit of the invention, and for this reason I do notdesire to be understood as limiting myself to the precise formation andarrangement of the parts of the device as herein shown in carrying outmy invention in practice.

Having thus fully described my inven tion, what I claim as new anddesire to se cure by Letters Patent is 1. In an air-ship, thecombination with oppositely disposed longitudinal-flight propellershaving blades, of vertical-flight propellers having blades, the bladesof one lon gitudinal flight propeller being oppositely inclined to thoseof the other longitudinal flight propeller and the blades of onevertical flight propeller being oppositely inclined to those of theother vertical flight propeller, the car body, two masts of differentheight secured thereto, sleeves on the higher mast to which saidvertical flight propellers are respectively secured, driving meansbetween the sleeves on the higher mast, a gear on one of said sleeves, asleeve on the shorter mast, driving means between. 'the sleeve on theshorter mast and the horizontal flight propellers, a gear on the lastnamed sleeve, horizontal driving shafts, and

gears on the latter respectively connected with the said gears on thesleeves.

' 2. In an air-ship, the-combination with a car body and two masts ofsubstantially unequal height, of an aeroplane secured at the upper partof the higher mast, rotatable slats pivotally supported by the frame ofthe aeroplane and forming the body of the latter, vertical-flightpropellers sleeved on the higher mast beneath the aeroplane,longitudinal-flight propellers rotatably mounted on the car-body atthesides thereof and on opposite sides of the higher mast and below thevertical flight propellers and intermediately between the top and bottomof the ship, a sleeve on the lower mast, driving connections betweensaid-sleeve and the longitudinal flight propellers, a parachute beneaththe longitudinal-flight propellers and over the ear-body, and means forindependently actuating the sleeve on the lower mast and thevertical-flight propellers.

3. In an air-ship, the combination with a mast secured thereto, ofvertical-flight pm pellers sleeved thereon, a second mast and arotatable sleeve thereon, a gear on the sleeve, a frame on the air-ship,propeller shafts mounted on the frame at opposite sides of the firstmast, longitudinal-flight propellers on said shafts, the propellershaving blades the blades of one propeller being inclined in a directionopposite to those of its companion propeller, driving shafts mounted onthe frame, a gear on each driving shaft in mesh with said gear on therotatable sleeve, a friction wheel mounted on each driving shaft torotate therewith but slidable longitudinally thereon, a friction diskfixed to each propeller shaft and engaged by the corresponding frictionwheel, means for shifting the friction wheels radially upon theirrespective friction-disks, means for driving thevertical-shaftpropellers and the sleeve on the second mast, and means toindependently control the rotation of the vertical shaft propellers andsaid sleeve.

4. In an air-ship, the combination with oppositely disposedlongitudinal-flight propellers having blades, of vertical-flight propellers having blades, the blades of one. longitudinal flight propellerbeing oppositely inclined to those of the other longitudinal flightpropeller and the blades of one vertical flight propeller beingoppositely inclined to those of the other longitudinal flight propeller,an aeroplane, slats pivotally supported by the frame of the aeroplaneand forming the body portion of the same, means for rotating the slatson their pivots. a mast, sleeves thereon by which the vertical flightpropellers are respectively driven, a second mast, a sleeve thereon,aframe on which said longitudinal flight propellers are mounted, drivingconnections between the last named sleeve and the longitudinal flightpropellers for simultaneously rotating them in mutually oppositedirections, a controlling device for said driving connections, means forsimultaneously rotating the sleeves on the first mast in mutuallyopposite directions, and means to rotate the sleeve on the second mast.

In an air-ship, the combination with a car, of two masts fixed thereto,a sleeve rotatable on one mast, longitudinal flight propellers disposedat opposite sides of the car and rotatably mounted thereon, the bladesof one propeller being oppositely-inclined to those of the other,gearing connecting the rotatable sleeve to each propeller tosimultaneously rotate them in opposite directions, means controllingsaid gearing and adaptable to operate said gearing to change therelative speed of rotation of said propellers, a rotatable sleevesupported by the second mast, a vertical-flight propeller secured to thelast named sleeve, a second rotatable sleeve supported by the secondmast, a vertical-flight propeller secured to the said second sleeve,'theblades of one vertical-flight propeller being oppositely inclined tothose of the other, gearing connecting the two rotatable sleeves on thesecond mast. to rotate one sleeve in a direction opposite to that of theother, an aeroplane secured to the second mast, slats pivotallvsupported by the frame of the ,aerophnu and forming the body of thelatter, mean for rotating the slats on their Pl\'()l. and means toindependently control the I'Otutlon of the sleeve on the first mast andone of the sleeves on the second mast.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosul scribing witnesses.

\VILLIAM DAVID LE Witnesses:

Jonx Mnxrox Davlnsox, FRANK E. MALONEY.

FEV R l

